Love Me, Love Me Not! A Charlie Brown Valentine by Charles M. Schulz and adapted by Natalie Shaw

Peppermint Patty is puzzled about the whole Valentine's Day thing.

"Have you received a lot of Valentine cards, Charlie Brown?" she asks.

"Not even one," Charlie Brown admits.

To a few happy-go-lucky souls, Valentine's Day simply means some silly cartoon cards with funny puns and perhaps some candy hearts and chocolate kisses.

But for most kids, Valentine's Day is fraught with excitement and anxiety. (Ask any elementary school teacher!)

For school kids, your heart is on your sleeve and your popularity is on the line, an easily quantifiable bit of data out there for anyone to see right on your desk.

For Charlie Brown, Valentine's Day offers yet another chance with the Little Red Haired Girl. He has a large and lovely Valentine and he is determined to deliver it to her himself.

"I'd give anything to talk to the Little Red-Haired Girl.

I know I'm the kind of person she would like!"

Marcie has a special Valentine for Charlie Brown. Sally pines for one from Linus, and Lucy dreams of a musical Valentine from Shroeder. Peppermint Patty will take whatever she can get. Everyone worries.

Snoopy and Marcie help C.B. practice sample conversations with the Little Red-Haired Girl. With his special card in hand, he walks to her house hoping to hand-deliver it to her, but when he gets there, his courage fails. Armed with a big red box of chocolates, he tries again, but again he chickens out. Forgetting even to sign his name as he drops it in a nearby mailbox. Rats!

Charlie Brown pins his hopes on the neighborhood Valentine dance. Will he at last be brave enough to speak to her?

"She's waiting for you to ask her to dance," Linus says.

But it's Love's Labour Lost for the last dance with the Little Red-Haired Girl, in this newest edition of Charles Schulz' classic, A Charlie Brown Valentine (Peanuts). Faint heart ne'er won fair maid, But Charlie Brown's heart is true and his hopes spring eternal, even though he has to make do with a big SMAK from Snoopy in the mailbox in that classic comic closing.

"But there's always next year!"